The first BCS rankings of the 2012 season were released on Sunday, and the 6-0 Louisville Cardinals check in at No. 16. It's the first time the Cards have appeared in the rankings since the 2006 season.

Alabama, as expected sits atop the rankings, followed by Florida, Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame. SEC teams hold down four of the top seven positions.

The first thing about the rankings that Louisville fans may notice, however, is that fact that fellow Big East team Rutgers sits one spot ahead of the Cards at No. 15. This despite the fact that U of L is ranked ahead of RU in both national polls.

The problem for U of L as far as not being a top 15 team in the first set of rankings is the fact that the computers do not love them. In fact, one of the six sets of computer rankings utilized by the BCS - the Billingsley Rankings - doesn't have Louisville anywhere in its top 25. The other five computer rankings all have the Cards at No. 16 or lower.

Here is the initial top 25: